Monday, April 11, 2011

3 Cheers for 3 Scoops Ice Cream Brighton

By: Jessica Cickay

On a hot day, on a cold day, on a rainy day, or even on a snowy day, what’s better than a big scoop of ice cream? How about 3 Scoops? I recently screamed for some ice cream from my tiny Coolidge Corner apartment, but before I could say chocolate chip cookie dough, 3 Scoops in Brighton answered my call with a variety of creamy concoctions, sinful sundaes and bigger-than-my-belly-could-handle homemade baked goods.

The space itself may be on the small side, but the flavors at 3 Scoops are certainly large enough to make up for it. Some of the offerings may seem standard, but it’s always refreshing to taste the typical at their best. From the black specks that decorated the vibrant white vanilla, and the dark chocolate ice cream that was dark as night, to the black raspberry that popped with purple, to the strawberry that was sweet as summer, it was obvious why 3 Scoops is a scoop above the rest. As I was debating which flavor to sample, the friendly and informative Raul offered me something extra special.

Raul is the resident vegan ice cream maker for 3 Scoops and has developed a sinfully delicious dairy-free formula for a variety of flavors. Instead of milk and eggs, 3 Scoops uses hemp milk, soy milk, coconut milk and a special combination of ingredients to make their vegan options taste just like the real thing. Raul decided that, for me, the best showcase for his vegan vanilla ice cream was in sandwich form – massive, homemade milk chocolate chip cookie sandwich form, that is.

The vegan vanilla ice cream didn’t leave me longing for lactose, and the face-sized cookies delivered a punch of milk chocolatey sweetness. The cookies were soft and under baked in the center, with their ooey-gooeyness allowing the surprisingly creamy and rich vegan ice cream to become one with the baked good, and making the seemingly difficult eating process just as great as the tasting one.

Next, I sampled a few spoonfuls of different flavors, including a coffee cookies and cream that I would gladly welcome as my daily caffeine jolt, and a coconut flavor that won me over with its large coconut shavings and deep, toasty coconut flavor. I have to, once again, give it to Raul and his vegan peanut butter and jelly ice cream, which has scooped its way to best seller-status. The sweet strawberry jelly cut the strong peanut butter lusciousness and left me melting more than the ice cream itself.

I had a silly thought that I was somehow sweet-ed out for the day, but the apple crumble pie that appeared next reminded me of my dessert-induced ridiculousness. Thinly shaved tart and tangy apples drenched in a cinnamon caramel syrup didn’t go naked, but instead was dressed to the nines in a crumbly, buttery, decadent sweet topping. Raul decorated the already pretty pie with some fresh strawberries and it was a done deal. This girl’s screams for ice cream were met with more than she could have imagined.

3 Scoops is located in the heart of downtown Brighton, and based on their awesome and authentic flavors, ability to cater to allergies and preferences, and homemade fresh-from-the-oven treats, I think it’ll be a summertime, wintertime or anytime way to answer any and all screams for ice cream.